Clear Conscience
by Belle-French
Summary: Belle has been released from Rumplestiltskin's castle, but she cannot return to her father's kingdom. Instead she decides to start a new life for herself, even if it means facing prejudice and discrimination. Despite this Belle meets a woman who could change her destiny, Ruby Lucas. (RedBeauty Enchanted Forest AU)


Belle was still trying to figure out her feelings by now. Did she love him? He was a man so utterly filled with darkness that he couldn't even accept that some light had come into his life. She didn't know what to think of him anymore - but now that he'd let her go she knew she had time to contemplate. But instead of that, she'd turned herself to drinking, spending her days in the local tavern reading and avoiding every one of her thoughts. There was nothing like a good book to get her mind off of things, she used them for escapism. Somehow reading about someone's struggles helped her get away from her own. But when the final drunken people flooded out of the tavern and it closed for the night, she would have to close the book. And closing the book meant returning to a reality she oh so didn't want to be apart of.

The village was dark this time of night, but the inn was still lit up with strong candles. She approached it just like she did every night, it was sort of her home now. She couldn't go back to Rumplestiltskin's home, and she couldn't go back to her father's either. She couldn't rely on anyone anymore but herself.

The inn was cheap, to say the simplest. Quite the downgrade from the place of her upbringing, but it didn't matter to her. It was a place to rest her head every night, and a place where she could recover if her string of drinks from the night before had been too plentiful. She'd used almost all of her money to pay for a month's stay, and her time was nearly out. Rumplestiltskin had set her off with enough to sustain for a while, and whilst she felt guilty using the money, she knew she needed it.

She entered the inn and was faced with the landlord tiredly sat at the desk.

She smiled and began walking towards the stairs to her room, until she was halted.

"Ma'am." The man quickly said before she could advance up the stairs.

Belle swiftly turned around.

"Yes?" She asked delicately.

"I need you out of your room by the morning, there's a man from up north who came in today and needs a room by tomorrow."

"I don't understand, I've paid upfront, the room's mine for another week. Please, I just need to get on my feet again, I won't-"

"I'll refund your payment for the week." The man interrupted. "I just don't need some wench lodging here when there's a perfectly good man willing to stay."

"Oh, so now everything's clear. I can't get a job because I'm a woman, I can't be treated seriously because I'm a woman, and now I can't even get a room at some cheap termite ridden inn because I'm a woman. I can't stand for this. I'll make your life easier, I'm getting my bags, and I'm leaving right now."

She regretted the words the minute they left the tip of her tongue. It was late, the darkness swooped over the land and wouldn't fade until morning came. But it was a long time to wait, and she couldn't navigate through the darkness. It looked like she'd just bought herself a night sleeping in the way with the cows. But nonetheless, she stuck by her words.

She marched up the stairs hastily, not caring if the thumping awoke the people staying here, or annoyed the landlord. The brass key was removed from her pocket and placed into the keyhole, and quickly turned so that she could enter. There was nothing much to do but grab her bags, which were filled heavily with books and clothes. Despite her disgust towards the place, she carefully laid her bed and made sure the place was somewhat tidy. Then she clutched her bags in her hands tightly and left the room, stomping back down the stairs and greeting the landlord once again with a grinning face.

"Please turn in your key." The landlord sighed.

"I'd like my money back first." Belle replied, a sarcastic grin still on her face.

He dumped the coins onto the desk as she picked them up immediately and placed them inside her pockets. In return she gave him the key and turned her back on him, leaving the building and entering the cold, dark night that awaited her.

The village was practically in the middle of no where, the nearest kingdom was a 3 day journey, one she definitely didn't want to start tonight.

But kingdoms were different than small villages like this. There were far more people flooding through the streets, more places to stay, so many more opportunities.

Hopefully when she got there she could find somewhere to work, but based on her recent attempts at getting a job she wasn't sure of it. But her money definitely wasn't going to last forever.

The barn was just down the road, the only place she could possibly sleep for the night. She doubted anybody would let her rest in their home for the night. But in the hay amongst the animals wasn't her worst place of rest, she had spent many nights in Rumple's dungeon after all. Once she was inside the barn, she rested her head on the haystacks, sleeping amongst the animals and praying for a good night's sleep. She felt worthless, treated just like the animals which lay trapped inside of here. And that's how she thought things always would be.


End file.
